Quarterback Notes from a Loaded Stock-Up Showcase

This is where the showcase settings get a little more interesting — because quarterback play isn't just about who can spin it the prettiest in a drill. You're throwing to receivers you just met, everyone's timing is different, and you've got to stay steady while your reps come fast. That's why I leaned into the stuff that translates: feet, pace, decision-making, and how repeatable the mechanics looked when the day wore on.    [player_tooltip player_id='1597499' first='Jaydon' last='Kraft'] was one of my biggest personal standouts because he put together a complete day — not just a couple “nice throws,” but a full-body performance where the athleticism, the feet, and the mindset all showed up. Talking with him, he's got the right kind of presence: down to earth and easy to talk to, but with that subtle confidence you want your quarterback to have when he's in the middle of the group and it's time to go. Physically, yeah, he's still got to live in the weight room a bit and add strength as he grows, but the toolbox is already loaded. His footwork was calm and smooth through his drops, and even though the throwing motion isn't the cleanest you'll ever see, he gets it out quick — and he was accurate enough that it didn't feel like he was living off luck. The athletic testing backed up what you saw on the field too: near the top across all four drills and the longest broad jump, which is real explosiveness. Even in a camp setting where it's hard to truly show rushing value, he still found ways to flash that he's a legitimate run threat.     Julian Magallanes is the kind of freshman quarterback you notice before he even starts throwing because he's a big body with a ton of length, and the physical upside is obvious right away. The next step for him is pretty clear too: he's going to have to work on foot speed. He doesn't need to turn into some 1,000-yard rusher, but if he's going to keep climbing levels, he's got to be able to extend plays and escape the type of edge speed that shows up once you're playing older, faster athletes. Mechanically, I really liked what he brought from the waist down — the base and hips are doing their job, and you can see the power building from the ground up instead of everything being arm-only. Up top, the motion and release look solid, but it's a little elongated right now, and speeding that delivery up is going to matter a lot if he isn't going to be much of a running threat. The tools are there, and as he stacks experience and tightens up the tempo of his movement and release, he's got the kind of frame and foundation that can really take off.     [player_tooltip player_id='1581314' first='Kingston' last='Lee'] has a lot to like, and the big thing with him is how calm he stayed in every situation — no panic, no speeding himself up, just steady reps and a pretty mature approach for a young quarterback. He's tall and long, his feet looked good, and he stayed balanced in his drops like someone who understands that your lower half is where quarterbacking really starts. He doesn't have the strongest arm in the group, but he can get it where it needs to go, and what stood out more than raw velocity was the touch: he threw a catchable ball and showed a feel for layering it in even with receivers he'd just met. That's not easy in a showcase setting where timing is basically a guessing game, but you could see the anticipation trying to show up anyway. If there's a tweak, it's a slight hitch in the delivery where the ball dips right before he brings it up — not some scary flaw, just a small efficiency thing. The foundation is already really strong, and with more reps in a consistent system, he feels like a kid you're going to be glad you tracked early.     [player_tooltip player_id='1672571' first='Derrick' last='Warren']'s calling card is easy: the ball comes out fast, and it comes out with some zip. He's got a lightning quick release that can beat timing windows, and when he stays locked in on his mechanics, the whole motion looks fluid — the kind of thrower who can make things look easy when everything's synced up. The issue is consistency, because the occasional arm drop showed up, and when that happens you'll see the ball come out with wobble and lose some of that clean spin and placement. That's the next step for him is to get the best version to show up consistently. Because when he's focused and the mechanics hold together, there's obvious upside — it's not a question of whether the talent is there, it's there.

This is where the showcase settings get a little more interesting — because quarterback play isn't just about who can spin it the prettiest in a drill. You're throwing to receivers you just met, everyone's timing is different, and you've got to stay steady while your reps come fast. That's why I leaned into the stuff that translates: feet, pace, decision-making, and how repeatable the mechanics looked when the day wore on.